Lincoln Riley reveals extra motivation Oklahoma had in Big 12 Championship Game
By John Buhler
Lincoln Riley’s Oklahoma Sooners had even more motivation to beat the Iowa State Cyclones.
Avenging their road loss to the Iowa State Cyclones was not the only source of motivation for Lincoln Riley’s Oklahoma football team in the Big 12 Championship game.
Despite being favored over the No. 6 Iowa State Cyclones, the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners were not well represented in the 2020 All-Big 12 football awards. Offensive lineman Creed Humphrey was the only Sooners player to win an individual award, while Iowa State had five such honors, including running back Breece Hall as Offensive Player of the Year. This motivated the Sooners.
Lincoln Riley and his team had every reason to use those slights as motivation
“Whoever did it, I need to send them a gift basket. … We were pissed,” said Riley. Oklahoma defeated Iowa State 27-21 to win the Big 12 for the sixth year in a row. While the Sooners are likely destined for the Cotton Bowl Classic and not the College Football Playoff, they outplayed Iowa State for the bulk of this game, especially in the first half and in the game’s final minutes.
No doubt did Iowa State have a fantastic year. I mean, the Cyclones were one drive away from winning their first conference championship in over 100 years. However, the Big 12 not recognizing the Sooners as the best team in the conference year in and year out was a source of inspiration for Oklahoma to go out there and execute at a high level. Riley should be proud.
Oklahoma’s familiarity with the big stage ultimately serves the Sooners to stop the Cyclones.
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